Launch Day!

Announcing . . . Summer's Dream (Book 3 in the 2nd Chance Series). I'm excited to share what I've been working on for the last nine months. In the spring, I questioned whether I could write a book and launch it within nine months of another book's release. I know some writers come out with new books every few months. But it was two years between Books 1 and 2 in this series. So, it was an experimental journey for me. I put myself on a schedule that included the book being in the hands of a first reader, a pro-editor, beta readers, and my husband--all at different times, other than the beta readers. And I'm happy to say, it worked! Hallelujah!

Here's a little bit about Summer's Dream:

Summer dreamed of becoming an artist and painting natural beauty on canvas. But all that changed when she married Joshua Hart, a man carrying a powerful dream of his own. With a temper to match his wild-boy good looks, he stormed out of their marriage to pursue a life as a musician, leaving her alone and, unbeknown to him, pregnant.

Five years later, Summer is busy raising her daughter and managing the family's camp and retreat center in the woods of Eastern Washington. With her artistic dreams all but forgotten, her world turns upside down the day Josh shows up with an offer to help her get the camp ready--and plans for divorce.

Only Josh didn't expect to find a blue-eyed darling who calls him "Daddy" living at Hart's Camp. Not to mention his surprise over the attraction he still feels for Summer Day. Can he make amends for the past? Or is it too late?

My heart is for reconciliation and healing in marriage, and God has inspired me to write about that in books. He is so beautiful to heal our hearts and change us, isn't He? Sometimes the very situation we would consider beyond help, He touches and transforms.

Joy Calkins said this in her endorsement for Summer's Dream:

"As a pastor's wife, I've seen the grace of God work miracles in the lives of many marriages, including my own. Many, if not most of us need 2nd chances, a do over, a mulligan as my husband calls it in golf terms."

Have you ever needed a 2nd chance? A do over? I sure have.
 Can God bring life to a dead marriage?

Read what happens to Josh and Summer Day Hart in 

Summer's Dream

99 cents for a limited time!!

Real or Pretend?

Have you ever wondered if the book you were reading was more truth than fiction? Authors place the disclaimer in the front of the book stating it's fictitious. Yet, sometimes, I wonder. Is it real or pretend?

Then there's my writing.

My husband, brothers, kids may see some of my traits in characters I've written. Are any of my stories autobiographical? No. Definitely not. Huh-uh. No, sir. But how can I not include myself, at least a little bit, in tales that come from my heart? Perhaps, it's kind of like making stew. As authors, we take a little bit of reality, add a dash of half-truths, a pinch of that thing that happened once, and a whole bunch of imagination, and mix it all together, and wa-la! We have a tasty dish that doesn't resemble anything it used to be. It's stirred and heated--for hours and hours--and made into something else. So it is with my real world mixing up with my pretend world.

When I'm coaching teenagers for theater, one of the ways I get them to empathize with the character is to imagine a similar experience they've had, and then relate that to the emotions they're portraying. In the same way, I can take myself back to a past situation and ponder the feelings, and use those to dig deeper into the character's personality. I won't write my actual experiences. But some tidbits of my world definitely get stirred up in that other place.

On Tuesday, October 20th, I'm launching my third book in the 2nd Chance Series--Summer's Dream. And I got to thinking and wondering about the things that are actually a part of my story.

Here's me writing Summer's Dream in my backyard earlier this summer:

While I don't want to give anything away, here are some of the tidbits that leaped from my real world into my pretend world of Hart's Camp:

• When we lived in Alaska, Jason and I owned land in a remote setting. We got to it by riding in a skiff, beaching the boat, and hiking into the woods about a quarter of a mile. When we left the islands, we were especially sad to leave our property. So, years later, when the opportunity arose, we purchased land in the country near the Wash/Idaho border. Hiking through the woods is one of our favorite pastimes. In the summer of 2014, as I sat in my backyard writing April's Storm, I'd think about how I'd like to "someday" write a story including our rustic setting--gorgeous woods, a lush valley between mountains, big gardens, etc. So, when I sat down to write Summer's Dream, in my mind's eye, our land became a camp and retreat center: Hart's Camp--Changing Lives, One Heart at a Time. All I had to do was stare into the trees, the mountains, go for long walks, and I could see it all.

• A couple of years ago, we built a seven-foot-high fence in my backyard to keep out deer. In Summer's Dream, Em has a big garden in back of her log cabin, but it's overgrown and much of it has gone to ruin due to her poor health.

• My husband has an old Willy's Jeep truck. In the story, Josh stole Uncle Mac's Willy's Jeep, and totaled it. Now he's returning to Hart's Camp to make amends with his uncle.

• My niece-in-law's name is "Summer Day." I asked her if I could borrow her name for this story, and she said yes. I knew I was going to call the heroine "Summer," but adding the "Day" part made it extra-special.

• My nephew's name was Joshua--he's in heaven, now--and his parents fondly called him "Joshie." In the story, Aunt Em refers to Josh as "Joshie." Each time I wrote that endearment, I thought of my nephew.

• When my oldest son was a little kid, he leaped off the porch and fell on a Tonka truck, splitting open his lip. In Summer's Dream, Shua--Summer and Josh's four-year-old daughter--did the same thing and split open her chin.

• Earlier this summer, we received warnings from neighbors about cougars spotted near our property. It made me wary of hiking in the woods. And my fears brought about the cougar intrigue in the story.

• Jason plays guitar and leads worship in church. When we were young, we used to sing together. But there was a time--I hate to confess this--when I felt resentful of the time he spent by himself, playing his guitar. At the time, we were struggling in our relationship, and I wished he'd spend more time with me. While I don't harbor those feelings now, at one time in my life they were real. To get into Summer's thoughts, I dug up those old emotions and fed them into how she responds to Josh pursuing his musical dreams at any cost. 

There's a blurred line somewhere between an author's real and pretend worlds, isn't there? A friend of mine tells me our experiences are never wasted. As authors, I think that's especially true. We may adjust details and outcomes, but many feelings, situations, and dialogues come straight from real life. And all those emotions and heart-stirring layers make our characters more authentic.

I love it when people talk to me as if my characters are real. And, hey, they are, right?

To read the synopsis for Summer's Dream, visit http://www.maryehanks.com/new.html

Here's My Baby!!

Today is Celebration Day!!!

I get to show you my baby.

For the first time on this blog, let me introduce . . .

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is Launch Day for April's Storm, the second book in my 2nd Chance Series! It's a very exciting day for me. It kind of reminds me of having a baby. Finally, my friends and family get to see (read) the story that's been living and growing in my heart for over a year.

As I release this book into the vast world, I'm saying good-bye to my time spent with Chad and April, characters who have become dear to me, and, in many ways, real. While April's Storm isn't my personal story, to read my work is to know my heart. I want to thank you for doing that, and for joining with me in cheering for Chad's and April's second chance at love.

For a limited time, April's Storm is 99 cents on Kindle!!

Get your Kindle copy today: Kindle copy of April's Storm 

Like to hold a paperback? Paperback of April's Storm

Sometimes our paths cross for a reason.

April Gray is fed up with lectures on how to become the perfect pastor's wife, and her husband's around-the-clock vigilance to the church is driving her crazy. Has he fallen out of love with her? Is he having an affair? After months of parsonage warfare, April is sure there's only one thing left to do—leave!

Being a pastor means everything to Chad. He thought April knew that when he married her. Why can't she see he's doing the work of ten men? He doesn't have time for romance when he barely has time to eat.

As a last ditch attempt to rescue their marriage, April and Chad attend a marriage seminar where Ty and Winter Williams, second-time-around newlyweds, are sharing their journey of forgiveness and second chances. Reconciliation sounds fine to Chad, but what price will he have to pay?

“In April’s Storm, Mary Hanks follows up Winter’s Past with another stellar read and gives us a front row seat to witness God mending broken hearts, restoring shattered dreams, and reviving a crumbling marriage.” Paula McGrew

Here's the main setting for April's Storm: Ketchikan, Alaska. 

The mountain in this photo is Deer Mountain, where April and Chad hike.

I've been to the top a couple of times myself.

Journey of a Book Cover

They say "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Yet, we do. The story would be exactly the same with a plain cover versus an eye-dazzling cover, but there's something dynamic that happens when the picture on the front of a book grabs us.

When my book Winter's Past was finished and professionally edited, there was a giant step yet to be taken in designing a cover that not only would be pretty, but would tell something about the story. In my debut novel, the leading lady is coming to terms with a lost love who shows back up in her life. In that process, she discovers that she may very well still be in love with the rogue, even though she doesn't want to be.

I wanted a cover that would relate to Winter looking back. I found this picture at istock:  

Winter has long red hair like the woman in the photo, she loves the Word of God, and it appears this lady is looking away, possibly into the past. She was my girl!

Because I'd spent a bundle on professional editing and valued the interior more than the exterior, I decided since I'm artistic (cough, cough) I could make the cover myself. I know, I know, but that's what I thought. I assured myself I could do it. After all, I love DIY projects!! So, I learned how to use the OpenOffice Draw program, which is free, by the way, and I came up with what I thought would be my final cover for Winter's Past:

When I held it in my hands for the first time, I was thrilled!

I still did some tweaking and ordered several proofs. But, eventually, I got it the way I wanted it to be--given my experience. In those first months, Winter's Past was available online, in a local bookstore, and sold from a clear bag I carried around with me, and I was very pleased. After all, I'd done the cover myself, and to me, it was a work of art. But as time passed, I began to doubt and judge and compare. I kept reading how people do judge a book by its cover, and how this is an area writers should not scrimp on--and I cringed. I wondered what I should do. Should I try to make another cover? Is relaunching a new cover a good idea after a year has passed? Will people be confused?

Also, with book two in the series on its way this year, I wanted something on the covers to be similar. So I began a quest to find a graphic artist. I went to several different websites hunting for that special "look". Then, I heard of a graphic artist through someone on Facebook, and I went to her site, not once or twice, but many times to look in awe at her cover designs. Suzanne Williams is very creative, and she makes fabulous book covers. Here's her website if you want to take a peek:  http://suzanne-williams-photography.blogspot.com/p/book-cover-graphics-and-design.html

As I compared her designs with my cover for Winter's Past, I felt mine had some major flaws. With the lady's face turned away and the background slightly blurry, it wasn't engaging. On the paperback, the colors were dark and murky. Something needed to change. I wanted a delightful cover like the ones on Suzanne's website. I wanted it to say, "Read me! This is a heart-touching story."

So, I contacted Suzanne and explained my heart for this book. She was so great to work with. She hunted for pictures that would match my characters, and so did I. She offered ideas, and she was very open to me making suggestions and asking her to tweak things. I was looking for an engaging couple, with the woman having a bit of an unsettled look, a bright color overall, and a banner that would remain the same throughout the series.I was happy to find this couple on Fotolia, her with her red hair, green eyes, and a sweet, slightly unsure expression, and him gently pursuing her:

A friend looked at the cover and asked, "Is that what you imagined Ty looking like?" Now, this is a friend who really liked my first cover. "No," I answered. "But, her? Definitely." And, I'd have to say, he's pretty close.

The lacy pink banner turned out great, it representing a bit of wedding lace. In each of the stories in the 2nd Chance Series, this lace will be present in different colors.

Suzanne and I both hunted for a secondary picture for the lower half. I wanted it to say something about marriage, since this series is about the hope of reconciliation. When I found the picture below, I loved the burgundy color and the Bible open to I Corinthians 13, a section of verses Ty thinks about during a tense scene with Winter's antagonistic personal assistant. The engagement ring fits so well with the story too.

Suzanne put it all together in such a delightful fashion, and I'm very pleased with the final product. Changing a cover mid-stream may be confusing to readers. Sorry about that. But in the end, when there are several books in the series, it will be nice to have the continuity of the covers--and the beautiful, eye-catching design. To all those who own the first cover version, just think of it as the first run. (If someone wants to update a Kindle version, go to "Manage your content & devices" on Amazon and upgrade for free.)

Thank you, Suzanne Williams, for sharing your artistic gifts and talents with authors. I'm thrilled with the new cover for Winter's Past. I'm so blessed to be walking this journey of writing books. My dreams are coming true! 

Winter's Past (2nd Chance Series #1) is available on Kindle for 99 cents! (limited time) HERE